Tell us a little bit about yourself!
I was born in Australia and grew up first in Melbourne and then in Hervey Bay, Queensland. My family moved to New Zealand when I was 17 and I stayed to finish High School and then followed them a year later. Family is everything to me and I wouldn’t want to ever be far from them but I still consider myself an Aussie through and through. I am engaged to the love of my life, have 5 adorable children including the youngest who are twin girls who have just started school.
Why did you originally want to be a makeup artist? What started the dream?
My first memory about makeup started with Barbie when I was 5. I’m told I used to raid my mother’s makeup and plaster my dolls in it and then explain why mine looked better. At 12 my Grandma and my Mum gave me my first makeup kit. I began using my friends’ faces instead of dolls and I never stopped. I did a course fresh out of school but then ended up moving to New Zealand. I was a Real Estate Agent for a number of years but I always wanted to do something I truly loved, that suited me and that I could feel good about. I left my Real Estate job, built up my kit, and began living my dream.
We see that you have studied with other Makeup Artistry courses. What motivated you to continue your education with QC Makeup Academy?
I’ve always been a dream chaser and honestly becoming a Makeup Artist happened so quickly. I hit the ground running and just kept going. I kept studying makeup courses, YouTube, and many beauty blogs but found I wanted more in-depth and technical training and get a recognized qualification. I wanted to master everything I could, as well as make sure I was on the right track. I saw the QC advertising everywhere, so I did some research and found a lot of great reviews. As soon as my course materials arrived I knew I had done the right thing!
You aspire to work in many different areas of the makeup industry; from weddings and events to make up for stage and television. Which one do you enjoy working with the most? Why is that?
I believe diversity and flexibility are key in this industry. Weddings are great for a solid income but it’s seasonal work. Being able to fill the rest of the year with photoshoots and being on set is what makes it a full-time career instead of a part-time hobby. I love nothing more than seeing a Bride and her family getting emotional over her beauty but I also love the thrill that comes from creating beautiful images with a photographer or taking care of a client on set. Each job has different perks, challenges, and expectations and I thrive on having a job that has this much variety.
We see that you’ve recently acquired a makeup assistant! Can you tell us a bit about the evolution of your business, and how having an assistant has changed your day-to-day?
Having a Real Estate background has helped teach me about self-promotion and the art of good advertising. No one tells you when you’re starting out as a makeup artist that you also have to be good at accounting, advertising, web design as well as have amazing people skills and good connections. In 2 years my business grew from part-time “here and there” work and often free, to full-time and turning away work. Now I have some amazing works to my credit including working for Woman’s Weekly magazine doing celebrity makeup, promotional work for Maybelline, and working at Fashion for Charity in Auckland. I took an apprentice because she wanted to learn from me and I wanted to give back. Now she helps me with big Weddings, doing reviews, and even helps with clean brushes (yay!). It’s changed my whole outlook on what I considered a one-person enterprise and my sister (who is a part-time Mua) has also come on board. Now I want to expand and train a lot more and I can handle larger jobs easily.
Your website design is lovely—what inspired the look?
When it comes to beauty I think of pink, softness, and light and I wanted my website to reflect that. I also wanted it to be full of everything that people would ever want to know so it’s very detailed. I put many hours into learning about how to create websites and it’s been time well spent. A professional website is so important as it’s the first point of contact for many of your clients, it’s your first digital handshake.
We also noticed that you’re quite active on various social media platforms. Do you have any advice for industry newbies on using these social sites to help promote a budding makeup business?
A lot of my business had come via Facebook but there is nothing worse than seeing 10 things from one page in a day. 1 or 2 posts a day, 3 if you have high-quality content to post is a good amount. Use the schedule a post option and space your posts out according to when your fans are most active (check your statistics to find this out). Also, be yourself. Let your personality shine through. People like to get to know you and if they have a connection and you seem approachable they’re more likely to contact you for work. I recommend liking industry-related pages and liking or commenting on a few of their posts. Like attracts like and people will see your name (which should have Makeup Artist or MUA in the title) and check you out. My biggest tip though would be don’t overuse the blur tool on your photos if you edit them. People aren’t silly and a lot of the time it’s quite obvious. It translates into they’re not good enough to show their true work, or, if I go to them I will be airbrushed and perfect but then you can’t deliver the same results and they’ll be disappointed. Your services are what you’re selling and you don’t want to be creating false advertising.
Let’s talk 2014 makeup trends. Which are you dreading, and which are you excited to experiment with?
I’m loving the colors that have been featured this year like orchid, fire red, and royal blue. I adore that the focus is moving away from over contoured and highlighted skin and more natural looks are coming back. What is more beautiful than clear, flawless skin that looks like your own? Nothing! Creative eyeliner shapes inspired by Asia have been popping everywhere which is good for people who struggle with the cat eye and wings. It’s a square edge and can be effective with eyeshadow as well as a liner so everyone can do it. Soft stained lips in wine, rose, red, and bronze tones without a liner and no harsh lines is another beautiful trend this year and it’s so simple. I was never a big fan of the bright and pastel lips drawn outside the natural lip line which was big last year. I prefer people to say “she is beautiful” rather than “her makeup looks good.” Enhance beauty, easy!
What does the future hold for Tania Hooper-Bishop?
I’m planning lots of things for the future of a Covet Glamour. I’ll be working from Haven Beauty more doing consultations and makeup lessons. Later in the year, we have plans to do a road show around New Zealand and Australia with a Wardrobe Stylist teaching women how to put their best selves forward. I’ll be working with the Photography students at UCOL creating more amazing photo shoots and I’ll also be getting into Special Effects makeup and doing more on-set work. Eventually, I’d love a beauty bar of my own but for now, I’m happy.
And the most important question of all! What makeup product can you absolutely not live without?
I can’t live without my Vani-T Face Base. I find it an incredible primer that is light and smells divine. It suits a lot of skin types and doesn’t clog pores. It’s also great as a mixing medium so I can create liquid blushes or intense cream eye shadows easily or thin down cream foundations. It’s cruelty-free, Eco-friendly, and good for your skin. Love it!
